Fate and Fortune
by rivalgreenoak
Summary: Rhenwr Elklorren is a female dwarf who has always been drawn to adventure, and so she finds herself on a quest to reclaim Erebor with 13 other dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard who may or may not protect them at any cost.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at a Hobbit/LotR fic and therefore it will be terrible. It is an AU [Alternate Universe] and I am drawing on information from both Peter Jackson's movie and Tolkien's book. I do not own either, however Rhenwr and several other characters are mine. Please R&R!**

* * *

A female dwarf stood near a green hobbit-door as the common, rowdy noises of a dwarf feast filtered through the walls. This particular dwarf was named Rhenwr - Rhenwr Elklorrin, to be exact - and was a descendant of a rather long line of vaguely royal dwarves. Rhenwr will be featuring rather often in this tale, so I will give you enough background and vision on her so you shall not be fuddling around with histories and sightings when we come to it.

Rhenwr, daughter of the desirable dwarf woman Rhennick, was quite a beautiful dwarf herself. She had the attention of many dwarves, but had recently become of the age 75 (which is a good stout age to be) and was not yet settled with a partner. This was quite a hopeful thought to the many dwarven men who were not yet tied to a partner - and a bewildered one to her relations. The simple reason for Rhenwr's state of freedom was that she was a wild soul, an unpredictable character. Neither her mother nor her father ever showed this tendency, nor her grandparents or her great-parents, for it was Rhenwr Elklorrin's doubly great relatives - and only one, mind - that was ever captive to this raging curiosity and adventurous soul; the great Forren Elklorrin, slayer of the larger-than-average and of course evil warg that once hunted on the grounds of Dale.

Rhenwr had a rather diverse background, which led her to her different (although nonetheless attractive) appearance amongst the dwarves. Rhenwr's skin was quite darker than most, verging on a tanned olive-type. Her eyes were brown, but such a dark shade that in certain light looked black. Her hair was much the same as many dwarf-maidens - dark and tangly. Her build was of the slender yet strong make, which led to her good training in swordsmanship and archery.

Let us return to the story at hand - as you remember, Rhenwr was standing upon the front porch of a rather respectable hobbit. She was listening amusedly to the loud noises of a dwarf feasting and longed to be apart of the joyful scoffing (although it is a fact that female dwarves eat rather more respectably and politely than their male counterparts). And so, with all the patience in the world, Rhenwr raised her right fist and rapped sharply on the door, exactly six times.  
A silence fell inside the hobbit-dwelling and Rhenwr smiled. Within a matter of time the door opened and a hobbit tentatively stuck his head out from behind it. He stared in shock at the form of Rhenwr Elklorren, who began removing her ash-grey cloak and hood.  
"Rhenwr Elklorren, at your service!" she smiled kindly at the hobbit before setting her sights beyond him. "I do hope this is the right place - ah, Balin!"  
For a dwarf had trumped up the corridor beyond the door to see who had knocked upon the door.

"My, it can't be.. Rhenwr Elklorren, unless I am mistaken!"  
"At your service, Master Balin! I had my doubts but it does seem to be the correct gathering place!"  
Rhenwr was delighted that Balin had recognized her. The latter gestured down the hallway, where the rest of the company were conversing once more.  
"Fili and Kili will be absolutely chuffed that you're here, Rhenwr, my dear! Shall we?" Balin uttered.  
"Let's."  
Poor Bilbo was left standing in the doorway with Rhenwr's cloak and hood in his arms as the two dwarves adjourned to the dining room. He carefully hung the items up and closed the door once more, hoping there was to be no more company tonight!

Meanwhile, Rhenwr was welcomed amongst the company, especially by Fili and Kili, who had been her childhood friends since infantry. Thorin, however, said nothing.  
"Are you to join us on our quest, Finn?" Fili inquired hopefully. Rhenwr laughed and patted his arm.  
"I must say, Gandalf," she spoke, leaning across the table to address him, "It was mighty inconsiderate of you to remove the mark so hurriedly. I was lucky I was close to this dwelling, and heard you all quarreling over who was going to eat the last seed cake!"  
A roar of laughter erupted amongst the dwarves.  
"Guess who ate it, then!" Bifur called loudly. Rhenwr rolled her eyes.  
"I shall take a calculated guess that whilst most of you were bickering, Bombur chomped it up!"  
There was more laughter from the gathering. Gandalf replied in kind to Rhenwr's mild accusation.  
"I was not informed of your coming and therefore took the mark off when the last of our counted party entered Mr. Baggins' pleasant home."  
"Ah, well, I'm glad you men are as loud as you are, else I would be lost!"  
"Then to Thorin," Balin announced. "The leader of our company! What say you on the addition of a new and rather valuable member?"  
Thorin gazed at Rhenwr in silence.

"It always was bad luck to have a woman with you on a journey of significance, and always will be," he began, and paused as the sounds of Fili and Kili protesting filled the air.  
"But," Thorin called, with the commanding, loud, voice of a leader, "an extra - and valuable, as you say - addition to the party couldn't hurt."  
Rhenwr smiled widely at Thorin. Bilbo stood up and the leader of the quest addressed him sharply.  
"Where are you going?"  
"Just- just to get a little light."  
"We like the dark!" the dwarves called. "Dark for dark business."  
Bilbo nodded shakily and hurriedly sat down, yet he missed the stool and landed in the fender. Rhenwr felt the urge to stand up and help the poor hobbit clean things up, but it would be an awkward business to climb over - or walk around - the table, and after her long journey she was not up to the task, however small.

* * *

Rhenwr watched the dwarves humming. Female dwarves were never able to mimic the haunting sound of male-dwarven humming, yet they had their own style of it - slightly higher, yet more eerie. As Rhenwr looked on, Thorin opened his mouth and began to sing. It went a little like this, if you can imagine it without the humming and background instrumentals.

_Far over the misty mountains cold  
Through dungeons deep, and caverns old  
We must away ere break of day  
To seek the pale enchanted gold._

It was indeed a haunting tune, and not one you would want to hear on the eve of a journey, but nevertheless it was somehow comforting to all the present dwarves.  
The dwarves all slept in the same room (the living room) and it was very crowded, but as the only maiden present, Rhenwr was allowed to sleep on the double-seated armchair (known as a couch or sofa to you and I). It wasn't the most comfortable item to sleep upon, but it beat the floor.  
At the crack of dawn Gandalf roused the dwarves, declaring that it was time to begin the long journey to the mountain.

"What of the burglar?" Oin shouted at the last minute - as the company was leaving the hobbit's hole, to be precise.  
"I believe Mr. Baggins is still sleeping soundly, and due to the fright we gave him last night, it will do him good to have a good long rest! Let us leave him a message bidding him meet us at the Green Dragon Inn, which is located in Bywater."  
"Hey, Ori!" Nori said, "I bet you ten silver coins he won't come!"  
"Oh, he'll come alright," Ori laughed and shook hands with Nori. The other dwarves began making bets - Dwalin bet Gandalf twenty gold coins that the hobbit would not show up! Rhenwr herself even made a bet with Bifur that Bilbo wouldn't miss this chance for an adventure.  
At last, the dwarves set off for their journey. Gandalf stayed behind to tend to his important matters.

Rhenwr had, of course, her own horse to ride - it was indeed a horse, though only slightly larger than a pony. Her name was Finnick and she was purest black with one grey sock on her left-hind foreleg.  
And so the journey began - fourteen dwarves and seventeen horses in lines of twos and threes. Out of the beautiful green Shire they went, packs laden with supplies and equipment! It was a merry beginning.  
Kili and Fili rode up on either side of Rhenwr, smiling and making cheery chatter. Rhenwr, who had been simply delighted to hear of her friends' coming on this journey, joined in and made jokes with them. The sky was blue and the earth simple to ride upon, which was a heartening fact. By the time the company reached the Green Dragon Inn, the trio had begun playing a game of riddles.  
"What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?" Fili asked, smiling widely.  
"A river, of course! I have another; what can you catch but not throw?"  
"Ah... A, uh..." Fili was at a loss, but Kili, who had been thinking hard, said brightly, "A fever!"

Thorin's company dismounted and tied up their horses, entering the inn, which was all but empty at that time of day.  
"What a hustle and bustle at this morning hour!" the barman cried, rather delighted as it was.  
"Let's see, fourteen dwarves! You must have travelled far to visit!"  
"Yes, and now we wait for another member of our party to catch up so we may begin our journey back," Thorin grunted. "If it is all the same to you, we might sit and have but several drinks, but no terribly mind-messing ones."  
"Of course, of course," the barman agreed, and together he and several members of the company pushed two long tables together, at which Thorin sat at the head.  
"Very good! Orders?" the barman produced a small piece of parchment to write the orders upon (not to mention a quill).  
"A small mug of ale, if you please," Rhenwr requested quietly. The barman did a double take.  
"A female dwarf! My, it's been years since we had the fortune to meet one of your number!"

With promises to bring the drinks as soon as possible, the barman retreated to his place behind the bar.  
By 10:55 a.m, the drinks were finished - along with second and third rounds. The dwarves were becoming impatient. They paid the barman and went outside, readying their horses for the ride. Rhenwr watched the road, still believing that Bilbo would come running up, and no sooner had she thought it that the hobbit appeared on the road, gasping for breath and bending over between exclamations!  
"Excellent!" Gandalf exclaimed happily, for he had suddenly appeared, mounted upon a large horse of purest white.

"Nori!" Ori called excitedly, for he of course had won the bet. Shouts rang amongst the dwarves and only as they were dying down did Rhenwr remember her own bet.  
"Bifur, five of the gold!" she reminded him, and with a groan he threw the little sack over his shoulder. Rhenwr had not been expecting that reaction from Bifur, especially as she had been adjusting Finnick's reins. It would have hit Rhenwr in the nose if Kili had not responded to reflex and caught the bag. Rhenwr was about to thank him when he said something rather unexpected.  
"Mine now," he announced, and Rhenwr tackled him to the dirt, growling playfully. She wrested the small brown bag from Kili and stood in triumph.  
"Not anymore!" Rhenwr smiled victoriously and tucked the coins safely into her pack. She smoothly mounted Finnick and guided her out of the tying bay.

"Let us be off!" she cried, holding her sword in the air. "Let us begin our journey to the mountain, where we will slay the dragon and reclaim our gold!"  
The dwarves roared in agreement and even Bilbo nodded excitedly, though he still longed for a good large breakfast. At least he had his pack and handkerchief - a handkerchief! Alas, he had forgotten one! This he realized as the company was leaving the outskirts of Bywater.  
"Wait!" he said. "Wait! We must turn back; I have forgotten my pocket handkerchief!"  
A bellow of laughter rose amongst the dwarves, and Bofur ripped off a section of his tunic and passed it to the hobbit. Bilbo wrinkled his nose, inciting another bout of chortles.  
"We must go without many things on this journey," Gandalf explained. "You will have to manage without pocket-handkerchiefs!"  
"And silver teaspoons!" said Oin.  
"And your grandmother's doilies!" Gloin joined in.  
"Plates, platters, carpets and flowers!" Fíli hollered. Bilbo blushed. The mood was again merry and bright, and the landscape of Bywater-borders was pleasant. It reminded Rhenwr of the time when she, Kíli and Fíli had escaped another of Rhennick's punishments and gathered a large meal and a cloth to pull onto the green moor, where they had a picnic in the afternoon sun.

The others talked of dwarven affairs and happenings, none of which truly interested Rhenwr, so she began to fall behind. She fell behind even more so when Finnick began to limp!  
The dwarf woman was so used to wandering all by her lonesome that without telling anyone, she halted her horse and dismounted, running her hand down Finnick's leg to pick up the hoof. It was a mere pebble caught in the hoof, which took several minutes to remove but would not bother Finnick any longer. Only as Rhenwr mounted Finnick once more did she realize the company had disappeared, turned some corner that Rhenwr had not anticipated. She rode on, however, looking for any signs of them. The ground was hard and no horse would leave a print, which made it ever the harder.  
"Oh, Finnick," Rhenwr breathed to the horse. "When will we learn to communicate with our fellows?"

She rode over a hill - and there they were! The company had halted - no doubt one of them had realized that Rhenwr was no longer among them. Slightly sheepishly, Rhenwr urged Finnick towards them.  
"She is there!" Gandalf cried as he caught sight of her. The others turned as Rhenwr caught up, rejoining the travelling dwarves.  
"Are you not a part of this company, Rhenwr Elklorren?" Thorin scolded. "Keep up, or next time we shall leave you behind!"  
"Finnick was becoming temporarily lame," Rhenwr retorted angrily. "Therefore I stopped to relieve her of the stone that was causing her pain!"  
"And you did not think to tell anyone, and simply disappear from the group?"  
Rhenwr had no answer to this, and turned away. Thorin huffed and they continued once more.

There was little talk from Rhenwr, for she silently seethed and mentally envisioned taking out her frustrations upon Thorin. She hated to be proved wrong and it did nothing for her temper. A lifetime of lonesome wandering meant that she was not as good at socializing as she should be, and this would most definitely leave its mark on the journey.

* * *

**And that's the first chapter. Please feed me with your reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**If there's anything wrong with the storyline, I'm sorry; I'm drawing all of it from memory. Please tell me if you think I should edit anything in a review or PM.**

**[And names! If I put an accent over the wrong 'i' or forget to do so, tell me!]**

Fourteen dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard. That was the number of Thorin Oakenshield's band of dwarves, those of which he was leading in a quest to reclaim the home of Durin's line; Erebor. For this mighty kingdom was invaded by Smaug the Terrible - the greatest calamity of the age. But the threat of a fire-breathing carnivore was far off in the distance, and had no place in the dampening of the company's spirit. No, it was rain - mere rain! - that caused the company's downtrodden mood.  
"Ere, Gandalf!" Dori shouted over the pitter and patter of the downfall. "You are a wizard! Are there no incantations you might utter to call off this here foul rain?"  
"It is raining, Dori," Gandalf replied, "And it shall continue until the clouds deem it fit to cease!"

At least, Rhenwr thought, it hasn't rained on the first day of their journey. They had made camp twice, and were now three days into the road to reclaiming the Lonely Mountain. Rhenwr didn't mind the rain. Her travels had taken her far and wide over Middle Earth, and it is safe to say that she had experienced more foul days than fair during her adventures. At first she had hated the water pelting down from above.  
"Blast this freezing downpour," she would curse, and find a cave or undercroft or eave to shelter under. Yet if Rhenwr was ever to get anywhere she would have to travel during wet weather, and so she learnt to endure the rain.

Many of the others in the group, however, were not so experienced.  
"I won't be properly dry until this time next year," Bombur grumbled.  
"'Tis merely a little rain, Bombur," Rhenwr chided. "Why, myself and Finnick have experienced much worse storms during our travels, and many bolts of lightning we have seen destroy trees meters away from us!"  
"That's all well and good," Bombur retorted, "but we are in the now, and right now it is simply pouring with rain!"

* * *

In time the rain passed on, and the damp dwarves, hobbit and wizard finally found a place to shelter, near an abandoned and broken-down dwelling. They immediately began to set up camp.  
"Balin, Nori, start a fire and cook supper as soon as you can," Thorin commanded. "The rest of you, gather the supplies and set out the bedding."  
"Thorin," Gandalf interrupted, "I do not think we should make camp here. I believe it would be wiser to move on; there is a faint feel in the air."  
"We shall rest here, Gandalf," Thorin replied stubbornly. "There is so such feel!"  
"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!" Gandalf snapped and stormed away.

And so Balin and Nori started a fire with the help of Dori and Ori; who was more of a hindrance, really; he kept dropping the firewood in puddles, which rendered it useless, and throwing the wood onto the fire too fast, which blew out the few flames that Balin had started. In the end, Nori sat Ori down and told him to continue his knitting.  
"I should help," Rhenwr yawned from her seat beside Kíli, and made to stand up, but Kíli pulled her back.

"I have not seen you for long a time," he protested. "We must talk, or you will have me wondering this whole journey what your life has been without me."  
Rhenwr laughed and sat back down.

"There is not much to tell," she admitted truthfully. "I went on several adventures, I attained my horse, who is my greatest friend, and my family is still scratching their heads as to where I am most of the time. I am the same dwarf I always was."  
"But you aren't," Kíli replied, looking her straight in the eye; chocolate eyes to obsidian.  
"I'm confused now."

"You are not the same dwarf girl I knew," Kíli explained, his eyes still exploring hers' as if attempting to reveal her life story. "You are not the same child who would annoy Thorin without a doubt, or climb the tallest tree to reach the ripest apple. You have been sobered; you do not laugh or make merry as much as you used to."  
"No," Rhenwr agreed, breaking their gaze to stare at her hands. "That is indeed true."  
"What happened to change you so?"  
"I would rather not talk about it at this time," Rhenwr spoke in a cooler tone, and Kíli nodded.  
"All the same, I should like to know when you are ready to speak of it."

"Kíli, Fíli!" Thorin commanded, "Relieve Bofur and Bifur of pony-watching!"  
And that was the end of that.

Rhenwr had indeed encountered something that changed her drastically during one of her exploits; something horrifying, or maybe upsetting, or just a thing that would shock a poor unsuspecting dwarf woman out of her mind. But the telling of this tale is for another time, for something was about to happen in this story that is worth the time to tell.

"Mr. Baggins!" Balin called. "Take this to Kíli and Fíli," and Bilbo was handed two wooden bowls and two wooden spoons to bear for the nephews of Thorin. These he dutifully disappeared into the darkness with, unlike any of the dwarves, who might have eaten the extra portions rather than obey Balin son of Fundin. Rhenwr finished her soup and with a full stomach settled down to what she thought was going to be a moment of thought, but instead she found herself falling into sleep.

* * *

Rhenwr was woken by a cry that did not only disturb her, but many other creatures around her. A fox bolted out of the shadows into a bush and birds rustled in the trees. Rhenwr lay for a moment before grasping the peril of the situation and realizing that the shout that had woken her was not that of an animal. Fully awake now, the dwarf woman leapt to her feet and snatched up her bow and sword, Aetherius, prepared to take on the largest of wolves - but then something else came to her attention.

There was not another dwarf in sight.  
Rhenwr treaded in the general direction of the noise she had heard, hoping her weary brain had made the correct assumption. Her feet trod lightly on the earth, leather boots eliminating any sound she might make. Rhenwr passed the small clearing that the collection of the dwarves had kept the ponies. Finnick whickered anxiously as Rhenwr walked past, and the dwarf woman spent a moment stroking her steed and whispering soothing nonsense before moving on - for she had spotted a light. It was easily distinguishable in the dark of the night and Rhenwr was prepared to bet that the foolish males had gone on some kind of escapade. In fact, Rhenwr was rather hoping that this was all that had taken place, but an uneasy feeling in the very pit of her stomach suggested otherwise.

A silence filled the air; the kind of silence that warns one of things to come, that the worst isn't over, that any minute, all hell will break loose... And of course, it did. Right as Rhenwr reached the outer edge of the clearing where the source of light was to be found, thirteen dwarves burst from the darkness and were upon the enemy. Rhenwr's face went slack. The enemy happened to be three trolls in a rough circle around a certain hobbit.

Rhenwr was caught off guard and simply stood in shock as the battle waged, dwarves hopping to and fro, brandishing swords and slingshots and bows as they leapt over the fire. The dwarves were blurs and the trolls blundered around, attempting to grab the dwarves, but the smaller race had the advantage of speed and it was a challenge for the trolls. One of them (and Rhenwr perceived it as the more intelligent of the trio) turned its' attention to a small form huddling by the trees nearest Rhenwr - Bilbo. Without thinking, Rhenwr leapt in front of Bilbo and swung her sword at the troll's huge, outstretched hand.

"Hah!" she shouted, slicing at the troll. "Back!"  
However, Rhenwr had been correct in observing that this was the troll with the most intellect. It made to swing at Rhenwr with it's left paw and sweeping her off her feet with its' other one, causing a nasty collision with the back of Rhenwr's head and the hard ground - or was it a stone? The troll laughed triumphantly, lifting her up off the ground and causing her to drop her sword.

"Weapons on the ground!" the troll bellowed, his voice easily heard by the others, who turned with wide eyes. Fíli's features went slack and Kíli called out Rhenwr's name. She barely heard her friend through the fog in her mind. All that was left in the world was the pain and the darkness as Rhenwr drifted away she knew not where.

* * *

When Rhenwr woke the dawn was coming, and she was rather snugly fitted in between Thorin and Balin, who were conversing over her head.

"This is the exact reason I left her behind," Thorin growled quietly, sounding fairly angry.  
"You can't blame her for looking for us," Balin replied reasonably. "What would you do if you woke up and couldn't find any of us?"  
Thorin was silent, and in the silence Rhenwr's ears caught on to the trouble they were in.  
"Mahal help us," Rhenwr gasped, disregarding Thorin and Balin's surprise. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"A fat lot of trouble, that's what," Kíli said in answer to Rhenwr's question (rhetorical though it was), his voice emanating from near her feet.  
"You could say that," Balin grunted, attempting (and not for the first or the last time) to wriggle out of his sack. Rhenwr nearly smiled before remembering the situation of peril she was in. An idea came to her mind - a quick, hurried one, mind - and thanked whatever god or goddess saw to it that the male race was never eager to properly search a woman. For hidden in a small sheath under the flap of Rhenwr's tunic was a dagger, unnamed, for it had barely seen the light of day and had never seen battle under Rhenwr's hand.

"Kíli," she spoke in a low tone. "I'll need you to be quiet for a moment."  
And in the split second that the trolls turned away to oversee the herbs being prepared, Rhenwr cut open her sack and skittered away into the trees just as Bilbo got to his feet (not without some difficulty) and bravely addressed the trolls.

**Sighs bc it's short sorry :( please R+R and stuff!**


	3. Chapter 3

Rhenwr rolled her eyes at Bilbo's pathetic stand, for he had just shouted at the trolls; one word.  
"_WAIT!_"  
It was an infinitely stupid thing to do, and out of the corner of her eye Rhenwr spotted Thorin sighing with contempt. There was a very fine line between bravery and idiocy, and Rhenwr knew that in Thorin's mind Bilbo had just stepped over that boundary; or rather, leapt over it with meters to spare.  
"You will need more than sage to season these dwarves!" The little hobbit cried. Rhenwr supposed she had to commend the halfling for his courage; she was sure most of the dwarves would never have thought of that. Then again, Rhenwr was also sure that they would have come up with something far less desperate.  
"Why?" One of the trolls squinted down upon Bilbo. They were extremely gross-featured, with large yellowing teeth and uneven jaws, not to mention the tiny, close-set, near-sighted eyes.  
"Well..." Bilbo paused, although for emphasis or lack of ideas Rhenwr was unsure. "Have you smelt them?"  
"Yer no pot of pretty pansies yerself!" Bofur cried from the log that was steadily turning over the harsh fire, his accent thickening with his indignation.

"I've 'ad dwarf whole before! Scoff 'em down, I say, boots an' all!" One of the trolls argued, eyeing the hobbit suspiciously.  
"Right!" Another cheered, and grasped Bombur by the scruff of his cloak, raising the dwarf to troll eye-level. He was about to dig in when Bilbo panicked and shouted.  
"Wait!"  
The troll paused in shock and stared at Bilbo; his grip was not loosening upon Bombur, whose face was red and distressed.  
"That one has worms," Bilbo announced loudly. The troll's eyes widened considerably and he let Bombur go with an 'eurgh!' The dwarf fell to the ground with a grunt and scrambled away as best he could in the sack.  
"I-in fact," Bilbo stammered, clearing his throat, "they all do!"  
Kíli let out a shout of protest which led to an avalanche of cries.  
"_WORMS?!_"  
"I don't have worms! You have worms, you filthy little-"  
"That's falsehood! He-"

And so it carried on, until Rhenwr cleared her throat at Thorin and glared, causing him in turn to kick Kíli firmly in the shoulder.  
"Ow," Kíli howled, caught up in the moment, before falling silent at the sight of Thorin's face, which was coloured with a warning expression.  
"Oh," Kíli realized what was going on. "Oh! I have worms! I have the biggest worms out of all of us!"  
"Worms in my very tubes!" Bombur howled.  
"_MINE ARE THE HUGEST!_"  
"Oh my gods," Rhenwr uttered to herself as the company babbled on. She couldn't comprehend the stupidity of these creatures; as much as they were similar to her, Rhenwr was completely convinced they weren't of her species.

"What d'you expect us to do, then? Let 'em all go?" a troll snapped. Bilbo shifted on his feet and wrung his hands.  
"Well..."  
"We ain't stupid!" the troll bellowed, and was about to make a grab for Bilbo when he was stopped in his tracks by a loud yell from behind him.  
"Let the dawn take you all; and be stone to you!"

All heads turned in the direction of the sound, and fourteen faces sagged in relief, for it was Gandalf, silhouetted against the rising sun.  
"Who's 'e?" a troll asked, squinting at Gandalf.  
"Can we eat 'im too?"  
And then, with a crack, half of the boulder the wizard stood upon crumbled away, revealing the light of dawn and immobilizing the trolls where they stood. Rhenwr closed her eyes and stumbled to a sitting position. The danger had been eliminated.  
"Not stupid, they say," Rhenwr heard Kíli mumble.

* * *

"They could not have moved about in daylight," Gandalf observed minutes later, after the remaining dwarves had been freed and the fire put out. "There must be a cave of some sort in the area."  
And so they spread out, energy renewed, looking vigorously for some sort of hole.  
"Here!" Gloin called after a while, causing everyone to gather around. The stink was the biggest giveaway, a stench of foul eggs and dung. But the hole was by no means open for them to peruse; there was a locked door barring their way.

"Such as the mountain," Nori grumbled, as the disheartened dwarves turned away, dispirited.  
"Yes," Rhenwr agreed, "and such as the mountain, where there is a door, there must be a key." Without further ado Rhenwr procured such a key from her cloak and laughed at the surprised looks on the dwarf troupe's faces. "It must have fallen out of one of their pockets, for I found it near the fire."  
"What luck!" Gandalf exclaimed, "How fortunate that it did fall out, or it would have been lost to us!"  
"Indeed," Thorin eyed Rhenwr suspiciously. "Well, let us not wait any longer. Unlock the door; and for your own sake, block your noses!"

The door was unlocked and the dwarves tumbled in, excited at the prospect of gold or other valuables - for there is nothing more attractive to a dwarf than shining stones and rare gems. Although Rhenwr could barely hold back her own excitement, she was a little overtired and instead sat down against a tree, where Bilbo joined her.  
"Very infatuated with stuff like this, dwarves, aren't they?" he spoke conversationally.  
"Yes," Rhenwr nodded, "and I too can barely keep myself from joining them. You forget, Mr. Baggins, that I, too, am a dwarf."  
"Oh - yes, yes, of course," Bilbo stammered, afraid to have offended Rhenwr. "But you don't seem it."  
"I am very good at hiding my emotions," Rhenwr admitted, squinting into the darkness of the cave to catch a glimpse of any treasure. From inside, a mindless conversation was being had.  
"Seems a shame just to leave it all lyin' around," Bofur mumbled, dragging a foot through the dirt. "Anyone could take it..."  
"Agreed," Gloin replied, and there was a pause. "Nori - get a shovel."  
Nori hurried outside to fetch a shovel, rummaging around in the packs.  
"Nori, you're ruining my packing," Rhenwr scolded lightly, getting to her feet and striding over. "Here."  
She handed Nori a shovel and he nodded his thanks, leaving Rhenwr to clean up his mess. When she was finished, she returned to her tree next to Bilbo and listened to the others.

"We're leavin' a long term deposit!"  
"Mahal help us," Dwalin snarled. "You didn't think that we could just _lock_ the door?/"  
"That thought did not occur to me, no," Bofur snorted. "How silly. Where's the key?"  
When Rhenwr realized she was going to be locked out of the cave, she jumped up and clambered in to get a glimpse, raising her collar over her nose.  
"Let's get out of this foul place," Thorin announced before Rhenwr could get a good look. "Bofur, Gloin, Nori! And Rhenwr!"  
Rhenwr nodded and hurriedly glanced over the items. She could always return for them... Right?  
Something caught her eye and drew her in almost viciously. It shone in the light of the fading torches.  
"Wait," she called out to the others. "Just a moment..."  
"Hurry up, Rhen," Fíli replied. "I don't like this place."

Rhenwr reached out and grasped the item firmly, pulling it out of the dirt. It looked to be a sheathed dagger, but when Rhenwr unsheathed it she found it was not of that make at all. It was a long, unevenly cut blade made of an opaque material – crystal? - that shone dully. Further investigation of the area revealed three more of the blades.  
"Rhenwr!" Thorin shouted rather impatiently, and Rhenwr retreated from the cave with the four weapons.  
"What did you find?" Gandalf enquired, leaning over to inspect the blades.  
"I - I'm not sure," Rhenwr frowned down at said items. "I was wondering if you could tell me."  
Rhenwr passed Gandalf a blade and he unsheathed it, examining it closely.  
"Adamas," he breathed, turning it over in his hands. "This, my dear Rhenwr, is a seraph blade."  
"My dwarvish ears have no possibility of understanding what you just said," Rhenwr spoke drily, tilting her head to the side, having mounted Finnick.  
"Angel blades," Gandalf explained. "These were forged in ancient times by the ancient powers. I believe that one must bestow upon the blade the name of an ancient angel to give it power. Very few remain, and yet you have found four! Keep them secret - some would give much to possess even a fragment of one of these blades."  
"Then I have made a very good find," Rhenwr exclaimed. Gandalf held out the blade for her to take, but Rhenwr shook her head. "I have three already - it only makes sense for you to hold one."  
"Very well," Gandalf smiled and retracted his hand. "Let us leave this place and pray we will survive long enough to return for the goods."

As the company rode, Rhenwr stared down at one of the blades in her hands. Angel blades – but what were the ancient angels, and how could she find out how to use the blades? Rhenwr figured that the elves would be able to give her assistance if they chose to, but elves were a touchy subject around Thorin. Rhenwr supposed she would cross that bridge when she came to it. And so the company rode on.

* * *

**Oh my god I updated for the first time in about six months are you all proud of me wow**  
**You see, my problem is that I come up with an idea, I write it, I come up with another unrelated idea, I write that, I get bored of the first one, and it just continues, on and on. Big problem. Review and the problem will stop for a short time. **  
**Thanks!**


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